Katanga Gendarmerie

The Katanga Gendarmerie was the police force and armed forces of the state of Katanga during the Congo Crisis. Formed in 1960 at the start of the Katangese rebellion against Congo-Leopoldville, the gendarmerie was led by Prime Minister Moise Tshombe and was supported by Belgium, which hired mercenaries to support the Katangese in their war against the Congolese government. The gendarmerie was disbanded after United Nations and Congolese forces defeated Katanga in early 1963, and former gendarmes would launch the Kisangani Mutinies and the Shaba I invasion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.